Cricket: West Indies, Australia and now India, the new world order ?

At first it may sound as a very naive thing to ask. Is India no. 1? Are we the rightful successors to West Indies and Australia who have so far dominated world cricket in two different eras ? And if yes, what impression will this world-winner team carry as champions?

Any quick minded follower of cricket who puts great value in facts would turn the pages of his cricket book and ask, “One day, T-20 or Tests?”. He believes in what the ICC says, he believes India is no.1 in Tests and no.2 in ODI’s. Anybody who is more like a layman will think in terms of can India be no.1, given that Australia is on the decline and that we are the greatest rising power in world cricket!

Perceptions will vary, but as I look at it: being the no.1 cricket team in the world is a lot more than just being god on the field. West Indies ruled the cricketing world for two decades and they were true champions. The respect they derived on and off field arouses a feeling of humbleness among other cricketing nations.

Australia in many ways were different. Their way of getting to the top was very different and their success had its own brand.

Steve Waugh and his team who started the revolution, many would say by winning the world cup in 1999 were a team that demanded the same sort of respect. But that image and reputation has degraded with time and with the changing faces in the team.

Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh, Glen Mcgrath, Michael Bevan and Shane Warne were all worthy and competent opponents. They produced in you a sense of regard as well as a competitive feeling. You would want to be jolly with them off field but on-field many a players and countries garnered professional hatred towards them. The Aussies were not much dissimilar to them in their ways on the field in the midst of things. They were more than willing to stir up a storm in the batsman’s mind so as to reap rewards, Mcgrath and even Warne sledged to get wickets. Standing in the middle with a stick – was like standing with a sword in the battlefield and when the Aussie attack kept bending their back and running in, it was like facing a fire-squad.

Let us admit this, every cricket team with its set of individuals and its leadership gains a new attitude and a new sensibility. For instance, India under Sourav Ganguly was a very different team from an India under Rahul Dravid. Whereas Sourav was an aggressive captain who brought in new ideas like the huddle and made a conscious effort to infuse the team with young blood; India under Dravid was a settled side banking upon experience and a mix of talented tested youngsters. Perhaps both achieved success in their ways. Ganguly led us to the final of the WC 2003 whereas Dravid started India’s string of great performances abroad with a test match win in South Africa and the series at West Indies. He is the only the third captain to win a Test series in England. With hange of leaders and with the changing set of individuals their is a a change of attitude. Who can forget Dada’s shirt-flinging act after the Natwest series final against England. The question to be asked thus is does any one particular attitude- aggressive (Ganguly), defensive(Dravid) or assertive(Kumble) bring more success to the side?

All these great leaders were to say, Moses and saints who prepared the way for Christ. The coming of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his coronation with the crown of T-20 champions excited new passions and dreams in the minds of the cricket fans in India. MSD has been admired for his cool in uncertain and crunch situations and that is a sort of trademark of this team. Its brand of cricket. This however is not exclusive of elements of aggressiveness and defensive inclinations. How many times have we seen Indian bowlers getting into the faces of Australian, English and South African batsman? As well as we have seen no silly revolutionary changes in the test squad – experience of Dravid, Laxman and Kumble had and have a position in the team as they nurture players for the future in shorter versions.

Both these elements have never been seen before. Sunil Gavaskar notes this emphatically most of the time while commentating that the teams from the subcontinent are submissive when they face hostile conditions in England and Australia. Coping with sledging is certainly not an art that the sub-continent knows!

Mahendra Singh Dhoni – In the league – Clive Lloyd, Steve Waugh and Dhoni!

The hasty revolution of young blood as brought about by Greg Chappell was not also particularly apt to Indian sensibility as well as perhaps a bad tactical situation. It is always important to give your heroes a deserved send-off and for the service they have provided the game – they deserve it!

So with stormy times and through filthy waters this ship has sailed safely, keeping intact its crew and fending off deathly sea monsters! Now i believe is the time that we take over the world with our own imperial project!